Technicians are constantly confronted with the need to store and protect the tools of their trade. To protect their investments from damage and loss while simultaneously trying to keep them clean and readily available, various types of tool kits and tool holders have been developed. Traditionally, tools have been kept in a conventional tool box. A conventional tool box, however, does not prevent abrasion between the tools and the box interior or other tools in the box and, as such, can scratch or break the tools and does not contribute toward keeping the tools clean and in good condition. A conventional tool box for delicate tools (e.g. brushes) is undesirable.
To improve protection for the tools and to keep them in an organized fashion, various roll-up tool bags have also been designed. A conventional, roll-up tool bag includes a plurality of pockets with each pocket designed to receive an individual tool. The roll-up tool bag is typically made of a soft, flexible material that enables the bag containing the tools to be rolled up for convenient, compact storage or transportation when the tools are not in use. Securing the tool bag in its rolled-up configuration is usually accomplished with circumferential straps or ties, thereby allowing for varying thickness of the bag because of a varying number of tools therein. The thickness of the rolled-up tool bag is dictated by the tools contained therein and the length/number of pockets of the tool bag.
Although roll-up tool bags help to prevent direct contact between the tools and aid in keeping the tools clean, a major drawback to conventional tool bags has been encountered. Tool accessibility is generally accomplished with a conventional, roll-up tool bag unrolled and laid flat upon a horizontal surface, thereby occupying a significant amount of work space. Alternatively, the tool bag may be attached to some vertical surface with hanging hooks, magnets or the like if a suitable surface is available. However, in some trades, it would be desirable to have the tools at least partially displayed in a vertical fashion to facilitate selection of a desired tool. One trade is cosmetology, wherein a cosmetologist could benefit by more quickly selecting a desired applicator, typically a brush, if all of the available applicators were vertically displayed in a holder that takes up less work surface. Additionally, the cosmetologist is usually confronted with limited work space upon which to place their tools.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a flexible, roll-up tool holder that protects the tools when closed, and enables conversion to a display configuration that takes up less work space while conveniently presenting the tools for easy access.